


Memories in the Night

by Witchofnovember



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-14
Updated: 2011-07-14
Packaged: 2017-10-21 09:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/223828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witchofnovember/pseuds/Witchofnovember
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A character study, not set at any particular moment in the story. Just two friends playing chess and talking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memories in the Night

He hesitated. His hand hovered over the ebony chess pieces, not yet ready to commit to a line of attack.

"Is something bothering you?" Lucius asked.

Alfred moved a pawn without bothering to answer.

Now it was white's turn to ponder the board and take the pawn. "Your anniversary is coming up soon isn't it?"

Alfred leaned back into the soft leather of the chair. It was far more comfortable than its predecessor. In some ways that made him miss the old chair even more, miss the old smells that clung to it and to the room it had occupied. The smell of foot powder, shoe wax and spray starch, the faintest lingering hint of tobacco smoke from before he quit. These roomsin the rebuilt Wayne Manor were structurally identical but the smell of new paint still clung to the walls.

"As of today, I've been employed by the Wayne family for thirty-five years." He picked up his glass and let the cognac slide across his tongue.

"Congratulations." Lucius smiled, "We should celebrate."

"We are."

"By brooding over chess and getting quietly drunk?" The smile grew to a sly smirk. "We could go clubbing."

"Not bloody likely." Now that there were clubs they could go to without worrying, they were too old and tired to dance all night long.

"I would have thought he would done something."

"I doubt he even knows when I was hired. It's not as if he was around at the time."

"You've always just been here. His entire life."

"So far," He made another inconsequential move.

"Thirty-five years." Lucius did the math in his head, "So, you were hired..."

"By the old man himself. The great Henry Wayne."

Lucius shook his head, "I missed out on his tenure at the company, but they still tell stories."

"Well they should." Alfred shook his head and lowered his voice "My son's a genius, that's what they tell me. Hasn't got the sense God gave a gnat. Thinks he can be a doctor and everybody will love him. Bull hooky! It's a dangerous world full of people that won't hesitate to take what they want. Well they won't do to my son what they did to the Hearst girl." He sighed and said in his normal voice, "I was supposed to keep them safe. Thomas, Martha and little Bruce, if I had insisted on driving instead of letting them take the train."

"Alfred-"

"And now he's out there on his own..."Alfred reached out and moved his knight into the path of the white queen. "Check in eight."  



End file.
